7 minute read
Little Jamaica A Cultural Mosaic of Music, Magic and Melanin
Little Jamaica
A Cultural Mosaic of Music, Magic and Melanin
By: Hugh Anthony Simmonds
The Movement, Music and Magic
If there is anywhere this Jamaican saying ‘wi likkle but wi tallawah’ rings true, it is with Little Jamaica, the cultural gridiron of Jamaica in Toronto, Canada’s largest metropolitan centre.
For over six decades, Jamaican and West Indian culture beyond the shores of ‘The Rock’ and the Caribbean archipelago have had a place on Turtle Island, a community that exemplifies a vibe and eclectic appeal second to none.
A cultural mosaic on Eglinton Avenue West, from Allen Road to Keele Street, Little Jamaica is an alluring tapestry of street food, Jamaican and West Indian restaurants, barber shops, hair salons, grocery shops, financial services, ethnic fashion, specialty retail stores, recording studios, record shops, night clubs and the iconic Reggae Lane, a symbol of the indelible impact and legacy of reggae music.
Jay Pitter, Placemaker & Author
In recognition and celebration of Jamaica’s 60th Anniversary of Independence, spotlighting this Little Jamaica is of historical, cultural, economic, social and spiritual significance as a ‘gathering place’ for Jamaican and West Indian immigrants for over six decades.
From the mid 1950s to the 1980s, the majority of Jamaicans migrated and settled in this neighbourhood, bringing with them their hopes, dreams and culture to Canada.
When the True North opened its doors to skilled immigrants for its growing economy, Jamaicans were one of the largest groups among all Black immigrants to arrive in Canada. True to our culture of lifting others as we rise, most of them sponsored family members to join them to contribute and build a life at their home away from home.
Reggae Lane Mural by Adrian Hayles © featuring icons and artistes of the reggae music genres.
Bob’s song, “Exodus”, eponymously penned with the words “The movement of Jah people…”, symbolically encapsulates the Jamaican immigrants bringing their rhythms, music and magic with them to Little Jamaica. They captivated the neighbourhood, making it Canada’s Reggae Music Capital for reggae music production and sound system culture, second only to Kingston, Jamaica.
Over the years, Little Jamaica became a seminal platform for the ‘mind blowing’ amount of reggae music talent that emerged from across Canada, Jamaica and the Caribbean. As a focal point for reggae music, it shaped and curated the sounds of reggae music in the Canadian psyche and paved the way for another epic Caribbean music genre -soca- and the birth of Caribana, a festival celebration of all the rich Caribbean culture and heritage in ‘The Six’.
Pioneering musicians like Jackie Mittoo, Noel Ellis, Leroy Sibbles, Ernie Smith, Wayne McGhie, Jojo Bennett, Willi Williams and Jay Douglas worked tirelessly, in the early years, to meld the music magically into the fabric of the Canadian cultural mosaic.
This created a legacy amongst the Jamaican and Caribbean diaspora where the music and magic it brought, transformed Little Jamaica as a space and a global hub for reggae culture and a melting pot for music aficionados.
guitar or the bass, the place-making of reggae music genres in Little Jamaica pulsated with rhythms for everyone from ska, rocksteady, dub, lover’s rock, to dancehall and soggae (soca and reggae). Not to be missed were the grooves and moves that together cemented the foundation for urban culture accentuated by the Jamaican patois, percussion and personality, giving it a distinctive cultural aesthetic and magic that has transcended generations within ‘The Six’ and became part of the Canadian sound.
In recognition of Little Jamaica’s contribution as a global reggae hotspot to the City of Toronto’s history, Heritage Toronto in 2015, commemorated a laneway in the neighbourhood as Reggae Lane in honour of its rich musical history and culture.
The impact of Little Jamaica’s musical contribution has spawned a generation of Black Canadians of Jamaican and Caribbean heritage who have had a major positive impact on the music scene from Jay Douglas, Nana McLean, Maestro Fresh Wes, Michie Mee, Kardinal Offishall, Jully Black, Esco Levi, Steele, Ammoye and Drake who
Josh Colle, Toronto City Councillor, Ward 15
are the epitome of the confluence of Jamaican and Caribbean cultural influences from music to Canadian and global reggae genres.
Trea-Jah Islea, a Cultural Hub in Toronto’s Little Jamaica | Photo Courtesy of thelittlejamaica.com Toronto’s Reggae Roots Plaque | Courtesy of Heritage Toronto Plaque
A Feast of Food, Fusion and….not Folklore
Little Jamaica is a die-hard foodie’s mecca for cuisine that accentuates the authentic tastes of the island nations of Jamaica and the Caribbean archipelago. Whether you are on a budget and still need a good ‘belly full’ or you’re ready to splurge, there is amply delight for every tastebud!
Melding community faves like patty and cocoa bread with the daily spread of Jamaican and Caribbean cuisines from pan chicken (jerk chicken), jerk pork, oxtail, curried goat, stew beef, brown stew fish, vegetarian fare, doubles, roti, fried dumpling and hardough bread with ethnic groceries and the colourful personalities along the strip, make the community of Little Jamaica an enviable ethnic enclave with nostalgic appeal for Jamaican and Caribbean nationals and residents across the Greater Toronto Area.
The authentic experiences with Jamaican food, culture, music and vibes is essential to its vibrancy. year of Randy’s Take-Out (aka Randy’s Patties), an iconic establishment since 1979 in the neighbourhood. Raps, the first Jamaican restaurant in the neighbourhood opened by Horace Rose, former record producer with his colourful jerk pan beaming the smoked aroma of his flavourful jerk chicken remains.
For the throngs of loyal multi-generational customers, Raps jerk chicken is like the evening’s main event in the neighbourhood. The food and the fusion of delectable dishes are mouth-watering and authentic.
Crowd of Loyal Customers at Randy’s Patties days before its closure | Photo Courtesy of Paige Taylor White
Fostering Solidarity, Stewardship and a Sense of Place
The Metrolinx Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project, a 19 km infrastructure development that runs through the heart of Little Jamaica seems to have impacted numerous entrepreneurs and led to a downturn in business, closures, inaccessible storefronts and traffic congestion for over a decade now—Randy’s Patties being only one of the numerous businesses closed!
The viability of many cultural and heritage offerings in Little Jamaica is at risk. Urban commercialization and the inevitable gentrification that will result, is about to erase the soul of the community. If municipal, provincial and federal governments fail to support and help to champion the actions and initiatives of the civic organizations and community groups to avert the erasure through protecting the character, history and culture of Little Jamaica, this ethnic enclave and cultural hub may just be a folklore for future generations.
There is hope on the horizon! Over a year ago, the Toronto City Council adopted a motion - Preserving the Past, and Protecting the Future of Little Jamaica to designate it a Heritage Conservation District. This would be the first of its kind in the City of Toronto.
This approach fosters a whole-community approach with an equity-based lens. It aims to preserve and reflect the rich Jamaican-Caribbean history while creating a sustainable model to community development, affordability and protecting the cultural capital of Little Jamaica and its contribution to the City of Toronto for transforming the space into a global hotbed for reggae culture.
Little Jamaica’s distinctive aesthetic and vibrant appeal is interwoven in the cultural mosaic of the musical genres of the Jamaican people, their journeys, struggles and obstacles faced even in this midst of the pioneering feats, achievements and accomplishment. The importance of the cultural contribution to the Canadian mosaic by musicians whose legacy have left an indelible imprint on the wide variety Canadian musical genres and styles as evident in country’s rising reggae stars is a defining feature of how important this ethnic enclave is not just for Jamaicans and Caribbean nationals, but also the City of Toronto and Canada. Little Jamaica’s contribution to the Canadian mosaic is a forerunner to the creative economy, diversity and multicultural pride of Turtle Island globally.
From the music, cuisine, culture to the voices of residents, there needs to be a fusion of hearts, souls and minds that honours, values and brings to Little Jamaica what the Grammy award reggae group Black Uhuru, one of its truly emblematic musical ambassadors espouse—solidarity—and stewardship of the heritage and culture in Little Jamaica and beyond.
